Sometimes, it's not about being dressed to kill but more so dressed to heal.
My first major clothing purchase after welcoming my son this past January was two months postpartum when I not only felt a little more like myself but I also wasn't insecure about shopping for my ever-evolving body. And my confidence truly skyrocketed with just three little words: The Nap Dress.
Initially, the viral cottagecore design piqued my interest because it filled both my Instagram and TikTok feeds, making me wonder if it was really worth the hype. But what sealed the deal for me was the fact that so many moms had raved about it.
When I purchased it for myself, I understood why. For one, the stretchy smocked top easily rolled down and allowed me to breastfeed with ease. Plus, the thick fabric hid my portable pump and boob shields when I opted to not breastfeed but still needed to let my milk out. The billowing skirt was a saving grace, as it not only flattered my changing body type but it didn't accentuate any areas I was self-conscious about.
Most of all, I loved that I didn't have to sacrifice comfort for style.
And, yet, the first time I slipped into the Nap Dress, I was terrified—worried I'd put too much pressure on the ability of a piece of clothing to make me feel better.
Here's the thing: Shortly after giving birth to my son, I was anything but gracious to myself, especially when it came to my appearance.
While I knew my body had done a miraculous thing, I was shocked (re: delusional) to see that I hadn't "bounced back" to my pre-pregnancy weight. Worst of all, I felt like a stranger in my own skin.
With breastfeeding, I felt more like a milk machine than a human. Plus, it gave my boobs a weird in-between of looking like sad sandbags and Playboy model material. My weight, which was changing on a daily basis, mixed with my out-of-whack hormones, had turned me into a big insecure mess.
So, shopping for cute clothes wasn't exactly fun.
Aside from not even knowing my size, I needed pieces that were breastfeeding-friendly, that could evolve with my body and that would boost my confidence. Because the truth is when I don't look my best, I don't feel my best.
That's why it was a huge relief for me when the Nap Dress checked all the boxes.
And it turns out the trendy look was intentionally made with moms in mind, Hill House founder Nell Diamond told E! News.
"As a new mom, it was important to have clothing I could feel presentable in but also comfortable," she explained of the design, which launched in 2019. "The Nap Dress was definitely born out of my early motherhood journey and trying to appease that."
Nell, who recently dropped the fall and outerwear collection, continued, "We really wanted to create something that worked for every version of you. Women aren't one specific thing—our bodies fluctuate, our minds fluctuate—so, we wanted something that moved with you as opposed to something that you're fighting against."
The fashion mogul put her design, specifically the smocking of the top, to the ultimate test when she became pregnant with twins in 2020.
"My twins were enormous. One of my twins weighed 7 lbs. at birth and there was a whole other one in there, so I was not small by any means," she recalled. "The tension of the smocking is so good, even two years later, I still wear the same size I did then."
And as a girl after my own heart, Nell explained how her fashion choices can influence her mood, which was another factor in creating the Nap Dress.
"The way I dress and present myself has a huge impact on my mental health," she said. "And if I don't feel good about the way I look, then I just don't operate to the best of my ability—in being a mom, in being a friend, at work, in any of those things."
Nell's advice for new moms struggling to find themselves postpartum is simple: "Figure out what makes you happy...and pursue it relentlessly. Don't worry about being trendy, do what feels good to you. That's the only way to get real mental health benefits out of it."